David's
affairs with Bathsheba was adultery. For the Law of Moses was in force
at that time. David, in fact, broke not only the commandment about
committing adultery, but also about killing and coveting. (Exodus
20:1-17) The Ten commandments were the covenant of and with God. (Exodus
24:6-8). Breaking of one or more of the commandments amounted to the
breaking of the whole Law and therefore of the covenant. God took His
covenant and its breaking very seriously.

God's original intention was
to have one man and one woman. Though the the Law of Moses does not put
a specific ban on polygamy in a very clear terms, telling plainly that a
man cannot have more than one wife etc. Nor does it make for a specific
allowance for it telling that a man can have a specific number of wives,
thus encouraging polygamy. But keeping in view of the social system
obtained at that time, it gives some rules to make some
adjustment.(Deut.17:17 and 21:15). It is simply said that a king should
not have many wives. He can have some, but no number is specified.
Again, it is not written that a king should be the husband of one wife!
The commandment here is to see that that the mind of the king does not
go after other gods. But in that it makes allowance for the king that he
can have more wives from amongst Israelites.

David had other wives thus
legally obtained and married. Saul had decreed that he would give his
daughter in marriage to whosoever killed Goliath(1 Sam. 17:25). David
killed Goliath, but Saul did not keep his word to give his daughter Merab to be David's wife (1 Sam. 18:19).Again, David had to pay the
price of killing two hundred Philitinians, to get married to Michal, And
he must have put his own life in danger for that (1Sam.18:22-29) ! So
David had married Michal by paying price, legally. David was doing
nothing wrong therefore in claiming restoring Michal as his wife.(2
Sam.3:14-16) David had other wives legally married to him, (2 Sam.
3:2-5) In those days, whenever a king win another king, the defeated
king would prefer to give his daughters in marriage alliance with the
winning king. These were politically motivated marriage alliances. (1
Kings 11:1-8) Again, the soldiers used to take girls from the defeated
kingdom as loot. (Judges 5:30). This was also accepted as their share!
When David was in his death bed, as a last resort, they brought Abishag
Shunamite to warm him. David was too weak to have sex with her and warm
up. But after all she had become his wife and so later on when David's
son Adonijah asked to marry Abishag, Solomon ordered to kill Adonijah,
for sin thus marrying Abishag, wife of king David, his intention was to
claim the kingdom of David (1King 2:13-25) So the definition of adultery
as per law seems to be taking another man's wife illegally. If some one
legally marries more wives, there is no specific total ban as stated
above. We can therefore see why David's affair with Bathsheba was
adultery. And David had to suffer punishment for it.(2 Sam. 12;9-15).
"Can a man scoop fire in his lap without his clothes being burnt? Can a
man walk on hot coal without his feet being burnt? So is he who sleeps
with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished."
Proverbs 6:29-35).

David committed adultery even when the husband of
Bathsheba, his faithful solider Urijah the Hitte, a gentile, was living.
David misused his divinely given powers to get killed Urijah to cover up
his own sin! David did repent of his sin and was forgiven, but he could
not undo the results of his sin! His son by Bethsheba died and his own
sons did bad things and revolted against him. The sword never departed
from his house! Oh for such sins of the persons in the high places! God
cannot allow them to go unpunished. Abraham and other patriarchs who had
more wives are not condemned as committing adultery, as in their time
the Law was not given then. And where there is no law, there is no sin
(Roman 5:13). They were following the social rules of their time coupled
with their rule of conscience. We always try to see the shortcomings of
those men of God, but God in His sovereign mercy honored their faith
(Hebrews 11), as they were following the light they had in the given
social set up. Say for example, it was quite acceptable to have maid
servants (slaves) and they were considered to be the property by those
owning them. In a given social set up, Abraham was doing that which
right his sight, especially when there was no law forbidding it. Even
keeping of slaves girls was not totally banned in the law of Moses.
Israelite were not to be taken as slave, and even if one becomes slaves
willingly due to his economic conditions, he was to go free in the year
of Jubilee etc. So these things have to be evaluated accordingly.

What Imubhai has said that God overlooked, is in fact, His tolerating mercy
till the appointed time. (Acts 17:30-31) Yes, God has designed marriage
of one man and one woman from the beginning, but think of the situation
what would have happened had there been the commandment of not marrying
one's own sister as given in Deut. 27:22? The sons of Adam and Eve could
not have married at all without committing sin! So God had not put the
dispensation of the law of Moses from the beginning. He is all wise God.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ puts the spirit of the law in its true
sense (Math. 5:27-32 and Mk.10;!-2). Thus, as far as we are concerned,
the position is made more clear, stringent and specific. Paul puts it in
no uncertain terms: Flee fornication. For other sins are outside of the
body, but fornication is related to body. Our body is the temple of God.
We cannot misuse it, but should keep it holy for the glory of our God. (
1 Cor.6:18-20) May the Lord be merciful to me and you all!